Tire chain securing means



1949- P. c. STARK 2,478,335

TIRE CHAIN SECURING MEANS Filed March 22, 1946 IN VEN TOR. PEARL C. STARK famge A T TORNEV Patented Aug. 9, 1949 UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE 2,478,335 TIRE CHAIN SECURING MEANS Pearl 0. Stark, Bartonsville, Vt.

Application March 22, 1946, Serial No. 656,374

2 Claims. (01. 152242) This invention relates to means for facilitating the mounting of a tire chain on a vehicle wheel.

As used herein the term tire chain relates to an anti-skid or traction device adapted to be fastened around the periphery of a vehicle wheel while it is attached to the vehicle and having at least a pair of longitudinally extending members, and interconnecting cross members, having means by which the opposite ends of said longitudinally extending members may be secured together, on the inside and the outside of a tire, with the cross members extending over the tread of the tire.

Many attempts have been made to provide means for lessening the effort, the time, and the annoyance involved in mounting tire chains on vehicle wheels, especially while they are mounted on an automobile or other vehicle. Means have heretofore been suggested for positioning on the tire one end of the tire chain, while the other end is brought around the tire and is attached to the first mentioned end. These devices, however, have never been generally accepted or gone into general use because they do not sufiiciently simplify the operation but have left it necessary for the person applying the tire chain to employ both of his hands, and to either get under the vehicle, or to reach around behind the vehicle wheel thus gettin his hands and the cuffs of his shirt sleeves and the like, as Well as other clothing, soiled from contact with the wheel, and the tire, and the inside of the mud-guard in the case of anautomobile.

The invention disclosed herein successfully simplifies the job of applying the tire chain to a vehicle wheel in a practical way, making it possible for an operator to apply a tire chain to a wheel, employing, if desired, only one hand and a minimum of time. I have found that with the combination of link and clamp disclosed herein I am able to put tire chains on the wheels of an automobile in an overall time which is on the order of only a. minute per tire chain applied.

An object of the invention is thus to provide a simple, practical apparatus for facilitating the application of a tire chain to a tire on a vehicle wheel.

Another object of the invention is to provide means of the above mentioned kind which will be easy to employ and whereby the tire chain may be applied by the use of only one hand.

Another object of the invention is to providethe combination of tire chain link and positioning clamp by which the link may be supported in position to be incorporated in the inside longi- V. 2 tudinally extending member of the tire chain, thereby closing said member into an endless member, after which the positionin means may be readily disengaged from the link and removed from the tire, leaving the chain on the tire in readiness for use.

Another object of the invention is to provide a simple, practical and efficient link for attachment at one end of the inside longitudinally ex-'- tending member of a tire chain to serve as a permanent part of the tire chain to facilitate applying and removing of a tire chain to the tire of a vehicle wheel.

Other objects of the invention will be in part obvious or in part pointed out hereinafter.

The invention accordingly consists in the features of construction, combinations of elements, arrangements of parts, and in the several steps and relation and order of each of said steps to one or more of the others thereof, all as will be pointed out in the following description, and the scope of the application of which will be indicated in the following claims.

The invention will best be understood if thefollowin description is read in connection with the drawings, in which,

Figure 1 is a perspective view of a clamp and link combination embodying my invention;

Figure 2 is a view of one step in the use of the apparatus embodying the invention; and

- Figure 3 is another view'of the use of the apparatus in applying the tire chain to a tire mounted on a vehicle wheel.

As illustrated herein, I provide a link In which isess'entially a rectangular, more or less oblong member which may be stamped from metal or otherwise formed of metal, plastic, or other hard, durable material. At one end it has means for attachment at one end of one of the longitudinally extending members of a tire chain. Connectin together the ends of the longitudinal chain member which extends around the wheel on the inside is the most difficult step in putting on a tire chain. Tire chains as supplied by the manufacturer ordinarily have an ordinary link at one end of each of the longitudinally extending members It and I1, and a clasp at the other end of each of said longitudinally extending members. Link In is intended to be substituted for the clasp at one end of one of said longituof the tire chain. Accordingly it is provided at one end with anaperture ll, interconnected with 3 an outer edge of link It by the slot l2 so that the portion of the link below slot l2 may be bent out of the plane of link member ID sufliciently to permit the end of a link [3 (the link from which the clasp has been detached) of the side or longitudinally extending member M of a tire chain to be inserted through slot l2, after which the portion below slot l2 may be bent back into the plane of link In thereby causing link 13 to be securely attachedito the end of.'said sidechain or longitudinally extending member l4. In other words the portion of link It below slot I2 is flexed out of the plane of link only while inserting link l3 into the said slot. This operation, need. be performed only once, when the link I0 is first made a permanent part of the inside longitudi nal chain member comprisingaspart. oi.the--.tire.,

chain, or the link I 0 may be provided by the chain manufacturer and assembled as-the'en'd.

link of chain member M at the factory.

At its outer end link. ill, is;v tapered: into, a narrow. fingerelike; portion. Whichis bent baeken itself. through-, 18D forming, the. hook l5-;= Hook l5-.is.;adaP! d toengage. the. end-K1115115 1! carried at the. opposite. end-of the; side chain orlong-itudinally extending member l4.

Intermediateitsends the links. litahasanother hook le whichimay be. stampedout of theibody otlink .l 0-,. and whichextends outwardlyand rear.- wardly, longitudinallsi of member; In and-.1 with its open endinzthe direction of. aperturei l. Hook [6,:- servesto make. a -sliding;, readily disengageable connection with a tire clamp-.20- as-willbe. des ribe For interconnection with-link In: andior; holding; it initially; in a position-v in which. the; link Ill-ii. at IhB OIhfllgBild; otinsidetirechain l4, may be. easily; and readily attached to it, with-the use. .o:,only; one. hand by the;- operatorrapplying thegrtire, chain to the: vehicle wheel, aJcIampF-ZD; is proyidedwhichilsgadapted to be readily slipped; over; or removed, .fromea .vehiclerwheel-gtire; It:- is; more or less horse-sho.e.-.shaped.-having; aesemig circulan-intermedi te; norn; adapted: toiextend oyer; the treadoi. the; tire on; which. the; chairr. is to be applied, and havinggends WhiGhJfiIBibGI-lt! somewhat: outwardly to; faeilitate placing; the clamp on. the vehicle wheel;- tire, ,thaolampr-being; resilient; and; adapted; to; frictionally engage the SidESEOflthGetllfittO; which'gitgisg appliedisuffif-wciently, to retain; it in-. position:.entrainmg; with: it, one; end; of, a:-.tire:. chain; during: the; operation of wrapping the tire ,chairraroun'd dthei fllfl h nd -.securin -rtoeetnerz thElelldsiof irebbain memb r :I 4 .orrthe.irrsidewof jthetvelziiclez wheel,;. as will: be. explained;

The tire -clamp;- 2 this provided iwith;sides-hooks;: 2.1 .and 22, on zop positei sides; positioned; so; that; hey, xtend. radially; inward..of1thegtireitogwhiohz the.-.- olamr ,-is appliedt .oversopposite; f aoeserof i the: tires The hooks 2i and. 22-; may; desirabhg; be; struck out from.thevmetaliorrotheri material; of-.wh i,ch tire, clamp m isimade; and F'Efifih.3th00kl extends outwardly and. forwardlyi ofrthe; clamp.. withits free. end. extendingin rthewgenerahdirecw tion, of... the. proximate freeeend 101?. the=.- clamp; Thusthefiody pertionpf each hookamember 2i;

and 22fis spaced..outwardl'y frome thezclamp, and.

extends substantially. parallel to the-:portion.-.oi. the clamp wh ch .it. .covers. Link-- I 0-, is sinserted between the body ofthe clamp andhook il, under;

the free end of hook.- 2 l, into ,position for-shook ISof 'link lfitobe hooked overrhook 2i of /the. clamps as illustratedfinl Figure in. In this posh,-

tion" link: It will extend; substantially;-- at. right.

'4 angles to clamp 20, and it will be noted the engagement between hooks l6 and 2| is such that hook 2| may be disengaged from hook l6 by merely pulling clamp 20 in a direction to cause hook 2| to slide out from under hook I 6 of the link.

Extending circumferentially around each clamp 20, from hook 2| to hook 22 a bead b is formed thereby strengthening theclamp and adding to its-:resilieney.. I

Adjacent the ends of clamp 20 respectively cutouts 23 and 24 are formed, one from the lower edge and one from the top edge, and the cut out portions of the ends may be interengaged when the clamp is not in use to keep the clamp in 'unextended 'position and thus preserve its resiliency. H

In the application of the combination of my novel-link I0, and coacting chain and link positioning clamp 29, the link it is first attached at one;e'nd..ofchain member; I4',.being substituted for; the conventional claspprovided on the end of member. I l: by the: tire chain manufacturer as has-beenexplained. Link Iil'is thus made a permanent part of the tirechain', as the link at one'end of member E 3,. and clasp c remains on. the corresponding en'd of membe'r IT. The endof the tire; chain. thus equipped with link liizisthen attached, by the: links I ii and 18' of its; insidev and outside longitudinal members l4 and t7 respectively, to..-the books 21 and 22 respectively,. on the inside. and the outside of a clamp 20 which is placed over a readily accessible portion of. the tread. of the tire to Which the chainis to be applied. Link I8='is the ordinary linknext: to the clasp c on" chain member ll. It; slips: readily-overthe hook 22' and the clasp c:is;thus; positioned in. advance or above clamp 28;, ready'for. attachment to the link ll at the other. endof member ll.- The automobile or other: vehicle is thendriven forward a sufficient distancetocalise. the chain to be wrapped around thevtire; afterJwhicli-the re'spectiveend links it andzaMPof. member" l l are secured together. The endsrof. member l7, whichextend around the outer-onexposedfaoe of the vehiclewheel and tir'e;.are:attached together byengaging'end link Il in: clasp: 0, thus completing themounting ofz'thmtire chain on the vehicle Wheel. Preferably-clasp -o and link" ll aresecuredtogether before removing clampZll; Cl'a mp'20'is removed from the tire-detaching itself 'fronrlin'k it which is now a part of chain. member l4, and from link lflif link It" has not already been detached.- The clamp 2'fl iszappli'ed 'to' the tirewheel. by. simplypusl'iingit'over the vtr'eadof'theiwh'eel tire, theoutward bend at'ith'e ends of Iclamp. 26aenab1ing' the'ends tonicve' inward'while spreading apart sufficiently to permit theclarn-p to bo -positioned and iengaged. onthetire. The :tire chain may: be

securedto the hooks?! and 22 of the tire clampeither. beioreor after it ismounted-onthe tire.

Asstatedj'ab'ove, the.link-.l0; after it-has been attacliedQto-the tire chain to serve as theend link .at one. endof. the. longitudinally extending member H1, is hung over hook 21 on the inside of I the-.tire clamp, and .itwillbe seen that in this positionitshook I5 will be projecting forwardly in aidirection tomeet-the link I l at the-opposite end of said chain member [4 as soon as the chain isnwrapped around the tire; Similarly the link lflg next to clasp c, on said longitudinal member ll.- is'hooked over-the .hook 22on the outside of clamp 20, and-inthis position. claspsc will be in readiness to engage end link ll after the chain has been wrapped around the whee After the tire has been rotated through approximately 360, as by driving the vehicle forward sufiiciently to rotate the wheels through this distance, the free end links I4 and ll of longitudinal members [4 and Il respectively will be hanging down in close proximity to the hooks 2| and 22 respectively of clamp 20, and it is then an easy matter to reach behind the tire and slip the end link [4 over the hook l5 of link [0, thus making longitudinal chain member 14 into an endless member lying on the inside face of the tire. Similarly clasp c is secured to link ll of member ll, thus making member ll into an endless member lying on the outside face of the tire. Clamp 20 is disengaged from the tire, and from link l0, and from link l8, it link l8 has not already been detached from hook 22, by simply pulling it off. Hooks 21 and 22, being spaced from clamp 20 at their open ends, are freely disengaged. It then only remains to attach the end link clamp l'i of longitudinal chain member 11 t the clasp c of member 11, if this has not been done while clamp 20 remained on the tire.

The link [0, with its forwardly projecting hook i5, greatly simplifies the attaching of the respective ends of the member H! on the inside of the tire. Not only does the provision of link 10 make it easy to engage the opposite end link 14 but the manner in which link 10 is supported in fixed position on the inner side of the vehicle wheel makes it a simple matter to attach link 14 to hook l of link I0, using only one hand. The coaction between hook it of link I0 and the hook 2| of clamp 20 makes it possible to speedily position link [0 initially, in a position on the tire where it will be easy to attach the opposed link M to it after the free end of the tire chain has been wrapped around the vehicle wheel. Another advantage of the combination of the link and clamp disclosed herein is their readily disengageable character, making it possible for the one putting on the tire chain to simply pull clamp 20 oi the wheel after it has served its purpose.

It will thus be seen that there has been provided by this invention a method and apparatus in which the various objects hereinabove set forth together with many thoroughly practical advantages are successfully achieved. As various possible embodiments might be made of the mechanical features of the above invention and as the art herein described might be varied in various parts, all without departing from the scope of the invention, it is to be understood that all matter hereinbefore set forth or shown in the accompanying drawing is to be interpreted as illustrative and not in a limiting sense.

What I claim is:

1. A link for attachment to one end of a tire chain comprising an elongated body having an aperture adjacent one end to receive a tire chain link, a projection intermediate its ends, and a hook adjacent the other end of said body, the free end of the hook being turned back over the body, substantially in the same plane containing said projection.

2. In combination, a clamp adapted to be mounted over a tire mounted on a vehicle wheel and having a hook-like projection extending outwardly from the clamp and having a portion extending substantially parallel with the clamp but spaced therefrom, and a link for attachment to one end of a tire chain, adapted to be inserted between said tire clamp and the said portion of the said hook-like member, and having intermediate its ends a projection by which said link may be supported on the said portion of said hook-like member, and having an aperture adjacent one end to receive a tire chain link and a hook adjacent its other end contained substantially in the same plane containing said pro jection.

PEARL C. STARK.

REFERENCES CITED The following references are of record in the file of this patent:

UNITED STATES PATENTS Number Name Date 280,636 Lenox July 3, 1883 447,618 Miller Mar. 3, 1891 475,589 Mills May 24, 1892 632,704 Fantroy Sept. 12, 1899 709,879 Deardorif Sept. 30, 1902 890,698 Olson June 16, 1908 1,065,758 Woodwell June 24, 1913 1,215,245 Boyter Feb. 6, 1917 1,266,507 Ludwig May 14, 1918 1,340,183 Parker May 18, 1920 1,367,640 Todd Feb. 8, 1921 1,458,069 London June 5, 1923 1,490,806 Doarman Apr. 15, 1924 1,777,773 Sjodin Oct. 7, 1930 1,806,840 Campbell May 26, 1941 2,328,680 Royer Sept. 7, 1943 2,395,013 Reese Feb, 19, 1946 FOREIGN PATENTS Number Country Date 151,113 Switzerland Feb. 1, 1930 

